Rosario, Argentina

About 7 years ago, I visited Buenos Aires as a guest of the Buenos Aires Film Festival - I believe I screened "Hair High" then.  It's a beautiful city with amazing French Rococo architecture, though by now it's a bit rundown. 

So, when I got the invitation to visit Rosario, the 2nd largest city in Argentina, for the 10th anniversary of their Escuela para Animadores (School for Animators), I said yes.  I have a number of friends from Argentina, it seems that some very great artists are nurtured there: the great Oscar Grillo, the fantastic Carlos Nine, Juan Pablo Zamarella, and of course, the late Caloi, the comic strip and gag cartoonist.  People tell me that on his TV show, Caloi screened a lot of my short films, and because of that, apparently I have a large following in Argentina.

I didn't really believe it until my first screening at El Cairo, their 1930's-style revival cinema.  There were people lined up around the block, and they had been waiting there since early in the morning - almost 500 fans, and they had to turn away a lot of them, because the fire marshal forbade audiences from sitting in the aisles. 

                                       At a press conference before the show at the El Cairo

So the show was a big success - as customary, I did sketches for everyone, and even drawing as fast as I could, it took 2 hours to satisfy all the fans.

My host for my few days in Rosario was Pablo Rodriguez Jauregui, who, with a small team of passionate animators, has developed a school for anyone who wants to learn about animation.  The school also has a wonderful animation museum that details the glorious history of animation in Argentina - it claims that the first animated feature film was created in Buenos Aires by Quirino Cristiani, around 1931. Unfortunately, a fire destroyed all traces of the film.  I've seen some of the images from the film, and true to Argentinian reputation, it had marvelous draftsmanship. 

One day while I was there, the crew from the school took a boat ride across the mighty Rio Paraná.  There were three problems with this phenomenal excursion: 1) it was a stormy day with hurricane-force winds and 4-foot tall waves  2) the boat they hired for the trip was a tiny rowboat with an outboard motor and 3) the driver somehow thought we were in a race to get across the river.  So all three elements came together, in a literal perfect storm.  And I knew I was going to end up in a headline: "Gringo animator drowns in the Paraná River in ghastly boating accident".

But, as fate would have it, I made it across the raging river to safety. 

The highlight of my trip, though, was that night when I held my Master Class, to another packed house at the El Cairo Cinema, and the U.S. ambassador's cultural minister introduced the mayor of the city of Rosario, and she gave me a special proclamation of Bill Plympton Day, or something like that.  I felt like Walt Disney probably did when he made his tour of South America in the 1940's and was hailed as an animation hero. 

I give my visit to Rosario, Argentina an A+

--Bill P.

GUEST POST: Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival 2015

MARTHA'S VINEYARD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2015

September 8-13, 2015

by WENDY CONG ZHAO

I've heard Bill say that the Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival is one of his favorite festivals, and I had the chance to attend it this year on his behalf, representing "The Loneliest Stoplight" in the Animated Shorts program.

Martha's Vineyard is an island in Massachusetts and even though I've lived in that state for 11 years, I have never visited Martha's Vineyard until now.  My experience with film festivals is also limited; I've gone to a few as an audience member, and have only attended 2 as a filmmaker.  So I had no idea what to expect of 4 days on the island as I left Manhattan at 8AM Friday morning.  I was traveling with filmmaker SIGNE BAUMANE, curator of the Animated Shorts program; EDWIN CHAVEZ, director of "The Wandering Eye"; and TOM BROWN, director of "Teeth".  Four animators on the road – that's always a recipe for fun.

For whatever reason, we missed our appointed ferry ride at 11AM, and the next available ferry was not till 4PM.  So we killed 4 hours in New Bedford, the highlight of which was a trip to the WHALING MUSEUM.  There, we marveled at the size and complexity of these beautiful marine mammals, learned about the hardships of a life at sea and about a long, cruel history of whaling.  As often happens after museum trips, I walked out with mixed feelings and a few fleeting urges.

Whale skeletons on display, photo courtesy of Edwin Chavez

Edwin Chavez charging forward, photo courtesy of Edwin Chavez

Signe Baumane relaxing, photo courtesy of Edwin Chavez

Finally we caught a ferry to Martha's Vineyard and arrived at an all-American house.  I thought we were going to stay in a hotel so I hadn't packed any travel sized shampoo.  Signe kindly bought us some shampoo - a gesture that, to me, really initiated the great weekend we were about to have.  The 4 of us were getting along quite well.  Somehow, we were the only filmmakers attending the festival that weekend, so we had plenty of time to exchange stories and jokes.

Our house for three nights, photo courtesy of Edwin Chavez

Pool, water, sunshine, photo courtesy of Edwin Chavez

Wild turkeys in the backyard gazing into the distance, Photo courtesy of Edwin Chavez

It would seem that the right thing to do at a film festival is to watch films.  So both Saturday and Sunday were devoted to watching features and shorts.  The Animated Shorts program took place Saturday afternoon.  In fact, it was my first time seeing "The Loneliest Stoplight" on big screen and I was nervous to catch glaring mistakes like sync issues or inconsistent colors.  Fortunately, I didn't catch anything that would keep me up at night.  The audience seemed to enjoy it too.  "Stoplight" was the first short in the show - a wholesome and sweet story that eased the audience into some of the more bizarre films later in the program.

Festival director Richard Paradise introducing the Animated Shorts program, photo courtesy of Tom Brown 

Here are a few short films from the program that I thought were especially strong:

"Yul and the Snake" by Gabriel Harel is a solid film with a gripping soundtrack that I am still thinking about, 3 weeks later. 

"Haircut" by Virginia Mori features lovely, mysterious pencil drawings that made me itch to draw. 

"The Panty Fairy" by Juanwei Chen is a film I had already seen no less than 10 times, and I never get tired of how confidently it carries itself and its sense of humor. 

"The Night of the Naporitan" by Yusuke Sakamoto hits me in the right spot with its well controlled humor and absurdity. 

"Teeth" by Tom Brown & Daniel Gray is a meticulously constructed, visually lush film that leaves you wanting more. 

"The Wandering Eye" by Edwin Chavez is short and sweet, straightforward but also full of mystery.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Baumane's programming and left the theater feeling proud that so many strong animated short films are born each year. 

Unfortunately, none of the feature films I watched in the festival left much of an impression.

I understood why Bill loves going to this festival; it really is a great escape from New York City.  2015 has been such a busy year for me that going to Martha's Vineyard was my first time seeing the ocean all year.  To boot, I haven't climbed a tree since 2007 and I went up one on this trip.  These are just a few simple things, in combination with good films, good company, and free wine, that ended up being deeply satisfying for me.

Signe Baumane examining an ancient creature, photo courtesy of Edwin Chavez

Wendy Zhao saying hello to the ocean, photo courtesy of Edwin Chavez

I'm very thankful to Bill for giving me the chance to go to Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival this year.  I would love to return another year, near summer's end, for another great experience.

Exhibition at Galerie Ardulik, Paris

I've been friends with Jean-Jacques and Diane Launier for many years.  We keep meeting in Paris and San Diego Comic Con, and we've been trying to set up an exhibition of my art from "Cheatin'" for a while. 

Well, finally it happened.  On September 22, I flew to Paris, did a full day of press and then attending the opening at their Galerie Ardulik.  It's a wonderful gallery, they've had exhibitions of such luminaries as Moebius, Peter de Seve, Bobby Chiu, H.R. Giger, and films from Disney and Pixar.  So I'm in some pretty fast company.

I must say that they did an excellent job with the art selection and the mounting of the show.  Perhaps it's the best exhibition of my art that I've ever seen.  There was a nice crowd at the opening and I sold a few pieces, but I was very fatigued and got a little drunk. 

The next day, I got to relax and prepare for the big show at Jean-Jacques and Diane's museum, Art Ludique.  It was a fabulous exhibition of art from video games, and it was a knockout.  The art and videos were stunning, plus they had a lot of concept drawings and sculpture models.  Every piece was so compelling!  But the highlight was a life-size video recreation of walking through Revolutionary Paris in 1789 - like being transported to and immersed in another world and time.  It was incredibly realistic, I had to watch the 5-minute "walk" a number of times because it was so compelling. 

The cool thing about the Launiers' exhibitions is that they consider animation, graphic novels, comic art and video games to be valid forms of art.  In fact, they believe they have much more resonance with the public than the art in the Louvre - and I agree.  Of course, here in the U.S. and specficially in NYC, it seems the art crowd couldn't care less about comic culture - it's below them, it's for children.  This is why I rarely go to art museums and galleries.  Most of the new art stuff there is so aloof, it doesn't communicate with me.  Also, there's no real emphasis on drawing and draftsmanship. 

(And that's why my favorite gallery here in NYC is the Society of Illustrators.)

But if you're in France, or going to France, or know someone in France, I encourage you to check out or recommend my exhibition at the Galerie Ardulik.  It will run until October 31, and it's a great show!   For more information, please visit:  http://www.arludik.com/

Merci beaucoup,

Bill

Pixelatl Festival, Mexico

I met Jose Inesta in Annecy a while back - he's a really cool guy and a lover of animation.  Last year, he invited me to his festival in Cuernavaca, Mexico, however, I had a scheduling conflict and I couldn't make it there.  But my friends who did go came back raving about the event, so I said I'd love to come this time. 

Cuernavaca is a large town about an hour and a half south of Mexico City.  It's a beautiful place, full of palm trees and cute shops.  The festival takes place in a five-star hotel, Las Mañanistas Casa Nueva.  It's one of those large landscaped, protected hotels with walls all around.  It seems like it's 20 acres wide, with parrots, peacocks and pink flamingos wandering everywhere, including the hallways.  There is a giant spa and two large swimming pools, so you know I was happy.

The event wasn't just animation, it also included games and comics - there were thousands of students there to hear from such professionals as Jorge Gutiérrez ("The Book of Life"), Phil Tippett ("The Empire Strikes Back"), Mark Osborne ("Kung Fu Panda") and myself.  The noble purpose of the 5-day festival is to build a culture and perhaps an industry for animation in Mexico.

My screenings were packed, standing room only, and the students were so interested in animation and the possibility of a career in it - their excitement was contagious.  I also did a "coffee talk", where we took over a hotel dining room to discuss the business and art of animation more intimately. 

I do hope this event becomes successful, because it's very important for the future of Mexican animation.  Two of my favorite programs were talks given by Jorge Gutiérrez - he was born in Mexico City but now lives in Texas, and he talked about his career in TV cartoons, and his big success with "The Book of Life" - he was totally entertaining.

                                                  with Jorge Gutiérrez at Pixelatl Festival

My good buddy, Mark Osborne, discussed the making of "Kung Fu Panda" for Dreamworks, and then he showed some amazing clips from his newest unreleased film, "The Little Prince" - it looked gorgeous. 

                                     with Mark Osborne, Sam and festival director José Inesta

So, if you're looking for a festival that has amazing guests, luxurious environments, awesome food and amazing audiences, then check out the Pixelatl Festival in Cuernavaca.  I give it an "A".

--Bill Plympton

Telluride Film Festival, Part 2 - "Anomalisa"

As you saw from the photo in Part 1, while I was in Telluride, I ran into my old friend, Tom Noonan.  I first met him years ago at Sundance where he showed his films.  He's a fellow Lower-East Sider and I used to go see his plays.   In fact, I cast him as the voice of the principal in my high-school horror film "Hair High", and we went to Slamdance together in 2004 to promote it. 

Ironically, he was in Telluride to promote his work as a voice artist for Charlie Kaufman's new animated feature, "Anomalisa" (try to remember that title) where Tom did about 30 voices for the film, and David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh provided the voices for the two lovers.

  

It was a real pleasure to meet Charlie Kaufman, I've been a fan of his for a long time.  He doesn't say much, so we didn't really connect.  However, the film is a unique, very special animated feature.  If you've seen "Being John Malkovich", "Adaptation.", "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", or "Synecdoche, New York" (all films written and/or directed by Kaufman), well, this film is equally weird. 

It's a story about a motivational speaker visiting Cincinnati and falling in and out of love with one of his fans.  The animation is realistic stop-motion, which doesn't really use animation to its best surreal potential, but I think that was his point.  That in a way, we're all puppets.

Other people may have different reactions to the film, but to me the concept is about how we all are looking for that special love, a unique voice, and often it turns out that when we think we've found it, that person just turns out to be like everybody else. 

I heard that the film won the big prize in Venice, so perhaps it will get good distribution.  But I'm afraid that he'll run into the same problems that I had with "Cheatin'", since here in the U.S., distributors believe that there's no market for animation aimed at adults.  "Anomalisa" has a very mature and sophisticated story - plus there's nudity and sex.

However, I pray that this film will break through that evil stereotype and open the doors for more adult-style animation, like my upcoming film, "Revengeance".  So, good luck to you, Charlie Kaufman.

--Bill P.

Telluride Film Festival, Part 1

I've screened my animated shorts at the Telluride Festival about 5 times, 4 times in the normal festival and once at the Telluride MountainFilm Festival.  My first time there was around 1989, when I showed "How to Kiss" and it was a real mind-blower.  Not only were the films and the audiences wonderful, but the location was utterly spectacular. 

And it seemed like all of the big Hollywood directors and stars were there - and that was where I met the great animator, Chuck Jones, who was an important part of the festival.

After the festival, I made a specific note to return to Telluride, however after entering new films, year after year, I kept getting rejected.  It wasn't until 2010 that I made my return with my short "The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger".  It felt great to be back, and now I've been going there a lot more frequently - thank God.

It's still one of the primo festivals in the world.  I wasn't able to see many film this time, because of my social schedule.  I was there to do some business - and even though Telluride discourages agents, lawyers, corporate executives and distributors, I was able to make some valuable business connections. 

                         With my old friend, Tom Noonan, and my new friend, Charlie Kaufman.

The highlight for me was the Academy of Motion Pictures party - it was like going to an Oscar party, with Danny Boyle, Sid Ganis, Todd Haynes, Rooney Mara and Charlie Kaufman in attendance.  I saw Kate Winslet flirting with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and after a few drinks, I had enough guts to introduce myself to one of my favorite comedic actors, Seth Rogen. 

 Fortunately, he turned out to be a big fan of my work and he was very friendly - but then, he was friendly to everyone.  I mentioned to him that I have a new script for an animated short, and his voice would be perfect for it - and he seemed excited.

One thing that confuses me about Telluride - they just opened a new, large cinema, the Werner Herzog Theater. (seats 650 people)  Why name it after Werner Herzog?  Sure, he comes to the festival a lot and he has made some nice films, but there are certainly other filmmakers who have larger reputations and are more frequent guests.  To me, the real problem with Werner is - he hates films.  I talked to him and asked him about the fact that he never watches movies and only sees about 4 films a year!  He confirmed that fact and said that he doesn't like the films that are coming out these days.

Now, maybe he was putting me on and trying to make a joke, but I've heard this about him from other people.  If any of you blog-readers out there are friends with Werner Herzog, please set me straight.  In any case, it seems to me to be an insult to cinema to name a theater after a guy who hates watching films. 

                     With famed animator Richard Williams, promoting his new short, "Prologue".

I'll have more on Telluride in my next blog - in the meantime, you can check out the Telluride experiences of my executive producer, James Hancock, here:

http://wrongreel.com/

--Bill P.

Secret Festival

About a month ago, I was told that my new short film, "The Loneliest Stoplight", voiced by Patton Oswalt, was accepted into a very prestigious film festival.  But I was warned that telling anyone about my film's scheduled screening at this festival was a serious "no-no"!

Why is this program line-up so hush-hush?  Because this festival likes to announce their program on the first day of screenings - which seems to me like a silly way to promote a festival.  However, it seems to work very well for them - this festival is now one of the top-rated festivals in the world, and it always seems to premiere a lot of future Oscar-nominated films, and usually even the winning films.

How they do it, I do not know - but it's been one of the reasons that this festival, as remote and expensive as it is, remains so popular and hard to get into - films like "Blue Velvet", "Bowling for Columbine", "Brokeback Mountain", "Capote", "Juno", "Slumdog Millionaire", "Up in the Air" and "The King's Speech" all premiered there.  Last year, they screened "Foxcatcher", "Wild", "Mr. Turner", "The Imitation Game" and "Birdman" - wow!

You've probably already guess that I'm talking about the Telluride Film Festival, and even though I'm writing this 4 days before the festival begins, I think I'm reasonably safe - we'll post this blog on the opening day of the festival, so at least everyone will know.

So, if you have any friends going to Telluride, please tell them to come and see my newest short film, "The Loneliest Stoplight".  It will be screening with "Mom and Me", on Friday, Sept. 4 at the Le Pierre at 8:15 pm, on Saturday, Sept. 5 at the Nugget Theater at 9:30 pm, and on Sunday, Sept. 6 back at the Le Pierre at 1 pm.  Please check Telluride's web-site for more information: http://www.telluridefilmfestival.org/

And when I return next week, I'll file a full report on the festival, including photos and celebrity sightings.

--Bill P.

SVA's After School Special Show, September 18

As many of you know, when I first moved to NYC in 1970, I enrolled in the School of Visual Arts on 23rd St. in Manhattan.  My dream was to take a class from the famed Push Pin Studios illustrator and designer Milton Glaser - he was one of my heroes.  Unfortunately, once I had arrived at SVA, I learned that Milton's class was a special night class, and he personally selected his students.

Yet, I did have some great teachers there - Charlie White III, Étienne Delessert and the great draftsman and "Tarzan" artist, Burne Hogarth.

Over the years, I've kept my connection with SVA - doing lectures, classes and going to their graduation screenings.

I was very delighted when SVA bought an old, rundown cinema on 23rd St. and 8th Ave.  They redesigned the entire theater using Milton Glaser's concepts and art.  Well, it's all come full circle now - I've been invited to do a show there, featuring all of my newest animations.

So, for all my fans who live in commuting distance to SVA - as part of SVA's 2015 Alumni Film & Animation Festival's "After School Special" program, I'll be doing an exclusive presentation of my newest short films on Friday, September 18 at 8 pm.  This will include "Cheatin'" and sneak preview excerpts from two upcoming features, "Revengeance" and "Hitler's Folly", plus the NYC premiere of "The Loneliest Stoplight", narrated by Patton Oswalt.

Preceding those films will be the New York premiere of the new short film "Dime Crimes #34", featuring the work of 11 SVA alumni, including director Ed Hellman.   It's going to be a great evening of animation, all the cool people will be there.

Also, the show is FREE!  That's right, all you students, it's a free event, open to the public - and everyone who comes will get a free Bill Plympton sketch.  So mark your calendars and bring your friends to the SVA theater on Friday, September 18.  I'll see you there!

For a full list of SVA's Alumni Film & Animation Festival events, please visit:
http://svatheatre.com/events/alumnifest2015/

--Bill

"The Loneliest Stoplight" screening in L.A.

Big news! My new short film, "The Loneliest Stoplight", is going to be screening in Los Angeles, starting this Friday, August 21 at the NuArt Theatre, located at 11272 Santa Monica Blvd.

If you haven't heard me talk about it yet, my new short features the voice of Patton Oswalt, who narrates the story of a stoplight who feels unnecessary when people start using a new 8-lane freeway.  Patton did a great job, and I'm really proud of this one, so it's great to see some screenings lined up already!

The NuArt is a fantastic theater, and they've been very helpful in getting my shorts screened in order to qualify them for Oscar consideration.  I win, they win, and if you go to see the film, you'll win too!

So, beginning August 21, you can catch "The Loneliest Stoplight" at the NuArt Theater in L.A., opening up for a documentary called "Station to Station", which looks like an amazing film about a train full of artists and filmmakers on a trip from NYC to San Francisco. 

"Station to Station" is a revolutionary feature comprised of 62 one-minute films highlighting an exciting and eclectic mix of artists, musicians, writers, places and perspectives. In the summer of 2013, a train designed as a kinetic light sculpture by artist/filmmaker Doug Aitken traveled from New York City to San Francisco over 24 days. Rolling into ten stations on the route, the train set in motion a series of happenings, each unique to its location and mix of creative participants. Featuring performances by and conversations with Beck, Jackson Browne, Mavis Staples, Patti Smith, Cat Power and many more.

You can get more information and buy tickets here:
http://www.landmarktheatres.com/los-angeles/nuart-theatre/Film-Info/station-to-station

If you can't make it to the NuArt, we'll have some announcements very shortly about some film festival screenings, some festivals where you see me year after year, and there may be a surprise or two coming up also.  Thanks for watching, hope you enjoy my new short!

--Bill Plympton

Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet"

About 5 years ago, I was contacted by a Hollywood producer, Ron Senkowski, who asked me to meet with him in L.A. when I was attending the Annies. 

We met at a Bob's Big Boy in the Valley and he asked if I wanted to create some animation for a feature film he was producing, a version of Kahlil Gibran's best-selling cult book "The Prophet".

I asked him if he had financing yet, and he told me something I've never heard before in Hollywood (and probably will never hear again) - "We have too much money."  I liked hearing that, so I said, "Sign me up."

It was a long road of production and organization - they had a wish-list of animators including Sylvain Chomet and Marjane Satrapi (both of whom had other obligations).  And they brought on the great Roger Allers ("Aladdin", "The Lion King") to write and direct the story.  Also, the great and beautiful actress Salma Hayek came on board as a producer.  Apparently her grandfather, being from Lebanon, was a big fan of "The Prophet" and he read the book to her during her childhood.

They divided the film into segments, representing different chapters from Gibran's book, and some of the other artists who contributed animation are Joan Gratz, Nina Paley, Tomm Moore and Joann Sfar.  They even invited me to Cannes to watch a sneak preview of a few of the scenes and to do some interviews to help spread the word.  It was a fabulous trip - they put me up in a fancy hotel and I got to hang out with Salma Hayek, although she was pretty busy with her press and social obligations.  The film got introduced by Gerard Depardieu, and I got to walk on the red carpet like a real celebrity.  Then there was an A-list party with famous people like Paris Hilton and Zoe Saldana - but I was too shy to talk to them.

                                    On the red carpet at Cannes in 2014 with Tomm Moore,
                                              Salma Hayek, Roger Allers and Joan Gratz.

Finally, last week I was invited to see the NYC premiere, at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema, and I got to chat with Salma, which was enjoyable.  The sell-out crowd was mostly made up of young women, and they adored the film.  The original book appeals to more women than men, I think, but it somehow manages to touch people from many different countries and religious backgrounds.

But, I have a few criticisms to makeabout the film.  The person who did the shadows on the faces just didn't seem to understand how shadows work - they were all out of shape and that detracted from the facial detail, and it bugged the hell out of me.  Whoever did that should check out my book "Make Toons That Sell...Without Selling Out" from Focal Press - I have a whole chapter on shadows in there. 

Otherwise, I loved the visual style of the film - it's unique in the animation world.  I can't think of another feature that put the work of so many different animators together so well.  I particularly loved Joann Sfar's segment, "On Marriage", and the one from the Brizzi Brothers, "On Death". 

One interesting observation that occurred to me is that, because of the structure of the film, Roger Allers had to make some changes to the main story, and as a result the framing sequence doesn't accurately follow the original book by Khalil Gibran.  So, if the book continues to gather fans and followers, and eventually becomes the foundation for a major religion, then just like St. Luke and St. John for the New Testament, Roger will become St. Roger for "The Prophet".  Next time I see him, I'll get on my knees and genuflect.

So, before "The Prophet" becomes a religous movement, run out and see it for the beautiful thoughts and gorgeous art.  And watch for my segment, "On Eating & Drinking"!

The film opens Friday, August 7 in NYC's Landmark Sunshine and L.A.'s Landmark theater.
Then it opens up in more cities later in August, so check out this list to find a theater near you: https://a.pgtb.me/7fH2z6

--Bill Plympton